Navi Pillay, a former United Nations rights chief leading a three-person investigation, stated on Tuesday that Israel is hindering UN investigators from reaching out to witnesses and victims of the Hamas attack on October 7.
The Commission of Inquiry was set up by the UN Human Rights Council in May 2021 to probe reported violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Expressing disappointment, Pillay mentioned, “I am saddened by the fact that individuals in Israel who want to share their testimonies are being denied that chance due to our inability to enter Israel.”
In a briefing to diplomats at the UN headquarters in Geneva, the investigation team disclosed that since October 7, their focus has been on the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
Chris Sidoti, a member of the inquiry group, criticized the Israeli government, saying, “Instead of cooperation, we are encountering active resistance in our attempts to gather information from Israeli witnesses and victims about the incidents that took place in southern Israel.”
Recalling the commencement of the Gaza conflict initiated by Hamas with the October 7 attack, it resulted in the tragic loss of 1,170 lives, primarily civilians.
Furthermore, the militants captured around 250 hostages, with Israel indicating that 129 are still held in Gaza, including 34 assumed to be deceased.
According to the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, Israel’s retaliatory actions have claimed the lives of a minimum of 33,843 individuals in the Palestinian region, a vast majority being women and children.